A cutting-edge AI tool is being developed to help local councils modernise their planning processes by transforming outdated paper systems into fast, accessible digital data—supporting the

government’s goal of building 1.5 million homes.

Currently in early testing, the tool rapidly converts old planning documents—such as poor-quality scans, PDFs, and handwritten notes—into machine-readable, shareable data in just 40 seconds. What once took planners up to two hours can now be done in under a minute.

By unlocking data trapped in legacy formats, this AI tool could reduce backlogs, improve accuracy, and speed up planning decisions. The goal is to empower local authorities with better information, helping them make faster, smarter choices that support housebuilding and economic growth.

The initiative supports the government’s Plan for Change, which aims to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament and streamline the UK’s planning system.

At present, many councils still rely on outdated paper records and scanned documents—leading to delays, inefficiencies, and resource waste. The new AI programme, called Extract, is designed to tackle these issues by providing high-quality digital data from old files. It can extract key details from thousands of documents, enabling planners to focus more time on delivering housing rather than wading through paperwork.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 

The UK’s planning system has been held back for too long by outdated paper documents, slow processes, making it nearly impossible for councils to make informed decisions quickly. 

As part of our Plan for Change, we’re using the power of AI to transform sluggish systems so we can start to rebuild. With Extract, councils will have access to better quality data so they can move more quickly on planning decisions and get on with driving growth.  

Technology like this could be a vital step towards councils meeting targets to help build the 1.5 million new homes the country needs, all while updating and improving the planning system for the future.

Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said: 

To kickstart economic growth and achieve the government’s ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament, we need local planning authorities to be making informed decisions faster.

By harnessing new technology like Extract, we can tackle backlogs, inefficiencies and waste and ensure councils are focusing precious time and resources on efficiently determining applications to build new homes.

The tool is expected to roll out to councils later this year and could have broader applications across the public sector, where location-based data plays a key role in service delivery and policymaking.

This move comes alongside a broader push to modernise public services. The Technology Secretary recently highlighted that embracing tech like this could unlock £45 billion in productivity savings across the public sector.

It also complements major planning reforms already introduced by the government, including updates to the National Planning Policy Framework and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, these reforms are set to boost the economy by £6.8 billion and drive housebuilding to its highest level in over four decades. Photo by mikemacmarketing, Wikimedia commons.